The subject matter of the present disclosure broadly relates to the art of gas spring devices and, more particularly, to flexible spring members that includes a flexible wall and one or more indicia marked along a surface of the flexible wall. Such flexible spring members can be included in or otherwise form a part of gas spring assemblies, and one or more of such gas spring assemblies can be included in or otherwise form a part of suspension systems. Methods of manufacturing flexible spring members in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure are also included.
The subject matter of the present disclosure may find particular application and use in conjunction with components for wheeled vehicles, and will be shown and described herein with reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the subject matter of the present disclosure is also amenable to use in other applications and environments, and that the specific uses shown and described herein are merely exemplary. For example, the subject matter of the present disclosure could be used in connection with gas spring assemblies of non-wheeled vehicles, support structures, height adjusting systems and actuators associated with industrial machinery, components thereof and/or other such equipment. Accordingly, the subject matter of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to use associated with gas spring suspension systems of wheeled vehicles.
Wheeled motor vehicles of most types and kinds include a sprung mass, such as a body or chassis, for example, and an unsprung mass, such as two or more axles or other wheel-engaging members, for example, with a suspension system disposed therebetween. Typically, a suspension system will include a plurality of spring devices as well as a plurality of damping devices that together permit the sprung and unsprung masses of the vehicle to move in a somewhat controlled manner relative to one another. Movement of the sprung and unsprung masses toward one another is normally referred to in the art as jounce motion while movement of the sprung and unsprung masses away from one another is commonly referred to in the art as rebound motion.
In some cases, the spring devices of a suspension system of a wheeled motor vehicle can be of the type referred to as a gas spring assembly, such as commonly have opposing end members with a flexible spring member secured therebetween in a substantially fluid-tight manner to form a spring chamber. It is generally desirable for gas spring assemblies to include identifying information thereon, such as manufacturer name, model number, serial number, batch or lot number, size characteristics and/or load capacity, for example. In some cases, such information may be molded or otherwise formed into a flexible wall of the flexible spring member. In such cases, however, the identifying information will be of the same color as the material from which the flexible wall is made. As a result, the identifying information on the flexible wall is often unreadable at distances of more than a few feet. Furthermore, the identifying information on the flexible wall may be difficult to read even at distances of a few feet or less.
In other cases, such identifying information may be printed directly on a flexible wall of the flexible spring member. Unfortunately, the type and kind of marking compounds (e.g., ink) that are commonly used tend not to be sufficiently durable to withstand the environmental conditions typically associated with the use of gas spring assemblies on a motor vehicle suspension system. That is, exposure to matter such as water, salt, dirt and other compounds as well as exposure to atmospheric conditions such as oxygen (O2), ozone (O3) and UV radiation typically cause the printed characters to be absorbed, washed off, faded or rendered otherwise unreadable. Thus, potentially causing a repair technician to have to undertake additional and, often, time consuming efforts to determine the identifying information, such as may be needed to procure a suitable replacement part or assembly, for example.
Notwithstanding the common practice of marking the flexible wall of flexible spring members of gas spring assemblies, it is believed that a need exists to advance the art of gas spring assemblies by developing marked flexible spring members having improved aesthetic appearance and/or durability as well as methods and/or techniques for performing achieving the same, while still retaining comparable or improved performance, ease of manufacture, and/or cost of manufacture.